New Half Days Scheduled, ES Virtual Open House, ES Parent Teacher Conferences and ES Principal Search Update

 

October 27, 2020

Dear HCS Community,

I hope that you are having a good launch to the week. Difficult to imagine, but we are in week eight now of school and quickly approaching the end of our first marking period!

I have several important reminders and updates to share with the Honeoye Central School District community this afternoon:

1. Please Mark Your Calendars: HCS will be adding five half days to our school calendar.
2. You are Invited: Instructional Coach, Sadie Beeman, is offering a Parent & Family University specific to Google Drive on October 28. 
3. You are Invited: The HCS Elementary School faculty welcomes you all for a virtual Open House beginning on 11/2. 
4. Save the Dates: The HCS Elementary School will be scheduling Parent Teacher Conferences on 11/20, 11/23 and 11/24.
5. You are Invited: HCS requests your input on the development of a Leadership Profile for the next Elementary Principal.
6. You are Invited: HCS requests the participation of 4 - 6 parents to serve on the parent stakeholder interview committee for the appointment of our next Elementary School principal.
7. The US Department of Education has released a Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide.
8. New York State has issued additional information surrounding the designation of Micro Clusters and Zones.

Half Days Added to School Calendar 
Given the construct of our mixed hybrid model for reopening and its impact on teaching and learning at HCS, we have identified five dates in which the Honeoye Central School District staff will have the opportunity to engage as a professional learning community during half days. These half days are being carved out in effort to ensure optimal levels of academic and social emotional support for ALL of our students, both in person and remote.  Our work as a staff on these dates will be directly correlated to student learning and wellness.  Please mark your calendars and make arrangements for child care, as applicable, now for the below dates: On the aforementioned dates, dismissal will occur as follows: Students and families may expect that there will be teacher directed learning activities for student completion upon arrival at home on these dates. Note: Mrs. Klaehn will provide additional information surrounding period schedules at the secondary level and BOCES programming for these dates.

You’re Invited: HCS Parent and Family University
This is a friendly reminder about the upcoming two sessions being offered by our Instructional Coach, Sadie Beeman, for Family and Parent University:

• Going in… Google Drive - Oct. 28th: 9-10 A.M. and 5-6 P.M. In this session, participants will:
  • Discuss how to access Google Drive.
  • Explore the features of Google Drive.
  • Learn tips and tricks for keeping Google Drive organized.
  • Google Meet Link: https://bit.ly/hcsfandpu
• Using Tech Apps and Extensions - Nov. 4th:  9-10 A.M.  and 5-6 P.M. In this session, participants will:
  • Learn how to access apps and extensions.
  • Discuss how to help children use apps and extensions such as Kami, Edpuzzle, Clever, iReady, & IXL
  • Google Meet Link: https://bit.ly/hcsfandpu 

To access the meeting with the provided link, you will need to log in to Google using your student’s account. Also, if you cannot attend but are interested in either viewing a recorded session or accessing resources click here!

You’re Invited: Elementary School Virtual Open House
The Elementary School plans to host a Virtual Open House for families on November 2. That Monday afternoon, families should look for a “goodie bag” in our PreK-5 student’s backpack for enjoyment with their family while viewing the HCS 2020 Virtual Open House. The link for our ES Virtual Open House will be posted in Google Classrooms and on the Honeoye CSD homepage. Families will need to be logged in with a “Honeoye Google account” to view all presentations from the staff. Note: We hope that you will consider posting a family picture to our padlet at the end of the presentation. Enjoy!

Save the Dates: ES Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences at the Elementary School will be virtual and are scheduled for November 20, November 23, November 24.  Beginning in the upcoming week(s), classroom teachers will communicate directly with families surrounding scheduling.  Dismissal times for ES students on the Parent Teacher Conference Days are as follows:  
HCS Elementary Principal Search Anticipated Timeline
As you are aware, HCS is in the process of conducting a thorough search for the next Honeoye Central School District Elementary Principal.

To help guide our hiring process, we will be putting together a leadership profile for our next Elementary Principal.  I hope that families and community members will consider taking this brief survey to share the qualities/leadership attributes believed are most important for the position and for a best fit at HCS.    

In addition, if you are an HCS elementary parent/guardian and interested in serving on a parent stakeholder interview committee, please send me a quick email ([email protected]) at some point before October 30. To participate in this process, you would need to be able to attend a question-writing session which will be scheduled some time during the period of November 9 - November 11 and commit to interviewing candidates on the afternoons of November 23 - 24. (More detailed information will be provided once the committees have been identified.)

Thank you for your support, and for taking the time to provide input in the hiring of our next Elementary Principal at Honeoye Central School District.

HCS Elementary Principal Search Anticipated Timeline:

• October 15 - November 11: HCS Elementary Principal Application Period
• October 19: Initial communication with internal and external stakeholders
• October 19: Meeting with administrative cabinet to discuss timeline and process parameters
• October 20: Meeting with ES Faculty to discuss timeline and process parameters
• October 19 - October 30: Internal and External Individuals Identified for Stakeholder Group Interview Committees
• October 19 - October 30: Development of ES Principal Leadership Profile
• November 9 - November 10: Creation of Stakeholder Interview Questions/Performance Tasks
• November 12 - November 13: Vetting of Candidate Credentials
• November 16 - November 18: Cabinet Interviews
  • Note: Cabinet members will provide feedback and confidence ratings to the superintendent.
• November 23 - November 24: Stakeholder Interviews
  • Note: Stakeholder committee groups will provide feedback and confidence ratings to the superintendent.
• November 30 - December 2: Reference Checking on Finalists
• November 30 - December 2: Finalist Interviews with the Superintendent
• November 30 - December 2: Introductions of finalists to the Board of Education
• December 9: Board of Education Appointment of HCS Elementary Principal
• January 1: HCS Elementary Principal Start Date

Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide, Released 10/23/2020
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released a Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide on October 23, 2020. This guide is intended to support parents and guardians in their understanding surrounding digital tools and how tech integration can foster personalized learning, engage students, encourage creative expression, and enrich the overall educational experience. This resource was informed by the input of researchers, parents, educators, school leaders, and an organization called Digital Promise and Learning Heroes.

Information on Micro Cluster Designation from New York State
As outlined by Governor Cuomo earlier this month, New York is implementing a new response to micro-clusters of COVID outbreaks in effort to limit spread. There are currently three zones of identified focus: Red Zone (micro cluster), Orange Zone (warning/buffer) and Yellow Zone (precautionary/buffer).

It is relevant to note that Ontario County has been designated a Tier 3 geographic area, which means that for our county to be identified as a yellow, orange or red zone, the below criterion applies, as outlined on https://forward.ny.gov/:


In the event of a designation, the following applies (https://forward.ny.gov/):


We hope to continue with our current trajectory relative to COVID-19 (zero known cases to date).  We thank you for your partnership in compliance and reinforcement of the following CDC and DOH guidelines:

• Staying home when ill,
• Social distancing,
• Mask wearing,
• Hand washing, and
• Significant cleaning and disinfecting of facilities and materials.

Please continue to practice these safety precautions with fidelity and take our daily health screenings so that we may continue to reduce/contain the possibility of COVID infection in our school.

Thank you for your unwavering support of Honeoye Central School District. We recognize that the circumstances of our day to day at school within the context of COVID may result in fluctuation and change, resulting in some level of inconvenience for our students and families. Please know with confidence that our intent is to ensure optimal outcomes for students and to ensure the safety of all at HCS. Thank you for your cooperation, patience and flexibility throughout these circumstances.

As always, in the event you have a question or concern, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Warmest Regards,
E. Bridget Ashton

Elizabeth Bridget Ashton
Superintendent, Honeoye Central School District
8528 Main Street
Honeoye, New York 14471
[email protected]
On Twitter: @EBridgetAshton